Opatija, anyone? The surprising October half-term holiday destinations that could save you ￡900

Opatija in October has a rather nice ring to it, and there's grand Hapsburg-era villas to admire in the so-called "Nice of the Adriatic". What's more, a half-term holiday for the family in the Croatia seaside town costs ￡320 less than a similar trip to Dubrovnik, new research has shown. 

You’ll find temperatures only in the upper teens in Croatia in late October. If it is heat you’re after, head to the Canaries, where the mercury can hit 25C. Savvy parents will save ￡900 when they bypass family-friendly Lanzarote in favour of the less well trodden path to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where a holiday for a family of four will cost ￡5,084 instead of the ￡5,988, largely thanks to cheaper flights.

By comparing the cost of popular family destinations with nearby lesser-known alternatives, M&S Bank has found that it pays to shop around. Families could save an average of ￡323 by choosing these lesser-known alternatives. Finding savings is particularly worthwhile given that the average cost of a week-long winter sun holiday is up 3.6 per cent (￡152) year-on-year, according to M&S, which examined flight costs on skyscanner.net, accommodation costs (the cheapest 3-star family rooms) on www.expedia.co.uk, and food costs (restaurants from numbeo.com/cost-of-living), for a family of four travelling from October 21-28.

October half-term alternatives | Where to get more for your money

Guaranteed sun costs extra 

While the most dramatic savings can be found in the Canaries, the enduring popularity of this destination means that Las Palmas remains one of the more expensive destinations to visit this October half-term, despite being 15 per cent cheaper than Lanzarote.

The second biggest saving can be found by opting for the island of Formentera instead of oversubscribed Marbella, thanks to lower flight and accommodation costs. Formentera is the fifth most affordable holiday option overall, at ￡3,976 for a family of four. With a flight time of just two hours and an average temperature of 21C in late October, this is a hard option to beat.

Opatija in Croatia is the most affordable holiday destination overall, costing a family of four ￡3,676, or ￡919 per person. Included in the cost of the holiday is a trip to Plitvice Lakes, considered one of the most beautiful national parks in the world.

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Portugal is relatively good value

Alentejo in Portugal, which was last year’s most affordable destination, is now in second place with a cost of ￡3,728 for a family of four, or ￡932 per person. While Alentejo is a cheaper alternative for holidaymakers who wish to visit Portugal, the popular city of Lisbon also actually ranks highly on the list of best value destinations - at number three - costing ￡3,872 per family.

Portugal offers relatively good value for holidaymakers this year: only six of 20 destinations included in the survey have an average per person cost of less than ￡1,000 – two of those are in Portugal.

Only one destination is cheaper in 2017 than in 2016

Turkey is the only destination where prices have fallen compared to 2016, with the value of sterling having risen 21 per cent annually against the Turkish Lira. The cost of a holiday to Bodrum for a family of four is ￡4,208 this year, ￡191 less than last year. A holiday to Marmaris is even cheaper, at ￡4,064 per family, a fall of ￡169 compared to 2016.